Derek McInnes is encouraged by the growing spirit at Rangers before a double-header with Celtic in the League Cup and Scottish Premiership.

Bojan Miovski’s added-time goal secured Rangers a 1-0 win over St Mirren on Wednesday – a fourth straight league victory – and prompted jubilant celebrations from the home players at Ibrox.

“Yeah, lots of cuddles going on,” said manager McInnes. “There was lots of bonding but I see a bunch of boys who are just desperate to do well.

“The dressing room in the last couple of weeks feels like a dressing room that I recognise and what I want my team to be.

“There’s been a real bond between them all. We’ve got some good boys here who need all the help and support from me and my staff and from everyone at the club and hopefully together we can make this a successful period.”

The League Cup was the last trophy Rangers won, in 2023, and McInnes’ only major silverware so far as a manager was in the same competition with Aberdeen in 2014.

McInnes won cup and league medals as a Rangers player and he wants to make the Ibrox side “relevant” as they prepare to host Celtic in Sunday’s cup quarter-final (12:00 BST) before a league encounter with the same opposition at Celtic Park seven days later.

“For us, what it presents is a tough cup tie but equally the fact that we’ve got it at Ibrox, at home,” McInnes said.

“We’re 90 minutes away from Hamden, we’re three games away from lifting silverware. You’ve got to beat the good teams to win a trophy ordinarily and we’ve got a tough game.

“We’ve got to make it tough for Celtic as well and I think they’ll expect a tough match and that’s what we intend to give them but it’s got all the makings of a brilliant cup tie.

“We just need to bring a performance now that gives us the chance to win it and then hopefully progress through the tournament.

“If you win it, it will only give you a platform to the next one. You’re always getting judged and there’s always pressure games and this is the type of game that you think people can have an opinion on your side. I still think it’s really early on in a season to be making any rash judgements on any team, good or bad.”

McInnes went on to urge his player not to “get caught up in the fixture”.

He explained: “It’s easier said than done and normally when you think you’ve got time to play, you normally don’t and you’ve got to move the ball quickly and be ready for Celtic’s press, the intensity.

“There’s a lot of duels to be won, there’s a lot of individual battles to be won but a bit of fire and ice at the right times can help matters.

“We recognise Celtic are a good team who have been the main title winners and the team that’s picked up more trophies than any other club in recent years.

“We just want to make sure that we give ourselves a chance to be relevant domestically again in terms of winning trophies and Sunday gives us a chance to take a step towards that.”